Daughter knows best
by Katetodd4eva
Summary: Title says it all. AU as Kelly survived all those years ago and Kate never dies. KIBBS
1. Chapter 1

Kate was the first one in the squad room. She walked around her desk, dropped her bag and pulled off her coat and hung it on the back of her chair. She pulled out her chair and sat down with a sigh. It was finally Friday, which meant when she left here tonight it would be the weekend and she could finally relax.

She reached over and turned her computer screen on and started going through emails. She felt the presence of another person enter the squad room, but didn't pay any attention, as she assumed it would be one of the boys.

"Good Morning, have you seen my Dad?" Kate looked up, a little shocked to see a young girl standing in front of her, bag slung over one shoulder and books in her arms. She was instantly drawn to her blue eyes, a feature that her boss also shares.

"Sorry, who is your Dad?" Kate asked confused.

"Oh I'm sorry. I'm Kelly Gibbs. You must be Kate" the young girl rearranged her books in her hand and offered Kate her hand in greeting. Kate stood up and shook Kelly's hand with a nod.

"I am. How do you know" she started to ask, but Kelly cut her off.

"Dad talks about you all the time" she answered with a smile. Kate still stood there, trying to piece it all together. This girl could very well be Gibbs' daughter. The smile and those eyes were all him, but the bubbly personality certainly was not.

"He never told you about me?" at Kate's shake of her head, she couldn't help but smile.

"That's okay. With your job its understandable he wouldn't want to tell many people. Do you mind if I wait for him here?" she asked pointing to her Dads desk. Kate again, just shook her head.

Kelly walked over, put her books down on the desk then dropped her bag and sat in Gibbs' chair with a sigh. Once Kate had gotten her thoughts together, she got up from behind her desk and walked over to stand in front of the young girl.

"So he talks to you about me? What exactly do you talk about?" she asked, now very curious. Kelly smiled and leaned forward on the desk.

"Well, he told me when he hired you. That you're ex-Secret Service. Oh, and that he would pay to see you kick Tony's ass" Kelly laughed, and at that Tony walked into the squad room and rounded his desk.

"Hey 2.0, haven't seen you in a while" Tony said, not at all surprised to see the younger Gibbs.

"Been busy Tony, you know with school and all" she answered. Kate looked between them, again a little confused.

"Wait, you knew Gibbs has a daughter?" she asked her partner. Tony looked up at her and nodded.

"Yeah, didn't you Miss Secret Service" Tony jabbed, Kate crossed her arms over her chest.

"I never saw his file, that was my boss. And why didn't you tell me?" she asked and he just shrugged.

"Not my place to tell" he says as he sits down and turns his computer on.

"Tony you love t o gossip and spill everyone's secrets. I think I had a right to know" she says.

"Yeah, well not when it comes to Gibbs" well he did have point.

"Dad was so right about you two. You fight like brother and sister" Kelly said with a laugh as she watched them.

"Yes, well trust me, I already have three brothers, I do not need a fourth" Just as she said that, the elevator doors opened and out walked Gibbs, coffee in hand. As he approached them, he slowed and noticed Kelly sitting at his desk.

"Everything okay?" he asked cautiously. She smiled and nodded at him enthusiastically.

"Everything is great, but I do need to ask if I can borrow your truck this weekend. John couldn't get his brothers, so they asked if we could use yours?" she asked sweetly.

"That's fine, but what am I supposed to use?" he asked as he made his way around his desk.

"You can use mine" she grinned. It was clear to Kate, Gibbs did not like whatever car his daughter had.

"Oh no, I am not squeezing into that thing" he protested as he pulled her out of his seat and sat down.

"Well" Kelly paused and looked at Kate "If you have a case or something, I'm sure Kate can give you a ride" she said with a grin. Kate looked from Kelly to Gibbs.

"Um, yeah Gibbs. I wouldn't mind. Or, if it is okay with you, I could take your car and Gibbs can have mine" Kate quickly suggested, that way she didn't have to wait by her phone to go and pick up her boss. Gibbs looked between the two women. He knew Kate was just trying to help, but he also knew his daughter was up to something.

"Fine. Meet at mine after work and we will swap cars" he finally agreed, making Kelly grin and hug him tight.

"Okay, well I better get going. I will see you both later" she said cheerily. Kelly grabbed her books from the desk, then her bag and left.

"You sure you want to do this?" Gibbs asked her and she nodded.

"Of course," she smiled and went back to her desk. Now Gibbs was a little worried as to what the two women had talked about before he had walked in.

Kate had followed Gibbs all the way to his house. He pulled his truck into the driveway, while Kate pulled up on the street, behind a Lime green VW beetle. She couldn't help but laugh to herself. She could understand why Gibbs did not want to drive his daughter's car around for the weekend.

She grabbed everything she needed from her own car, got out and headed for the front door, which Gibbs had left open for her. As she entered she could smell something delicious.

"Hi Kate" Kelly greeted enthusiastically.

"Hi, something smells amazing" she said as she put her handbag down.

"Thanks. I'm just making spaghetti. I thought it's the least I can do since I wont be here all weekend" she said with a sweet smile. Kate just nodded as she took in Gibbs' house. She had only been here once and she had stayed in the car.

"Do you usually do the cooking?" Kate asked, still no sign of Gibbs. Kelly nodded.

"Most of the time. It's just easier with the odd hours Dad does. And if I go away I normally make sure he has enough to get him through" Kate smiled. It was clear her and Gibbs were very close.

"Mmm something smells good" Gibbs said as he walked in, now wearing loose fitting faded jeans and a jumper. His hair a little tousled from getting changed. Kate had to look else where to stop the reddening of her face.

"Your favorite" Kelly smiled in reply, as Gibbs walked past and kissed her on the cheek.

Kate was starting to feel a little awkward, so she grabbed her car key and put it on the bench.

"It has a full tank of fuel so you shouldn't have to worry about that too much. Just try not to use her like a race car" she instructed. Gibbs couldn't help but grin.

"Me? Never" he joked, causing both women to roll their eyes.

"Kate, stay for dinner. There is plenty here" Kelly said as she grabbed an extra plate out.

"No, it's okay. I really should" she was cut off by Gibbs.

"Stay" was all he said. She looked at him as he looked at her and she finally nodded.

"Okay, I would love to" she smiled. Kelly happily went to the fridge and got them all out a beer, while both Kate and Gibbs both looked at each other.

This will certainly be an interesting dinner.

Kelly had said goo night to both Gibbs and Kate, as she had to get up early tomorrow, and she thought they could use some alone time.

Kate watched the younger Gibbs walk away as she sipped her beer, then turned to look at Gibbs.

"So why did you never tell me about her? She is an amazing young woman" Kate said softly, filling the silence that was now left after Kelly's departure. Gibbs shrugged, still staring into the flames of the fire that was slowly dying.

"Never came up. I like to keep my private life private" he answered. Kate nodded, knowing that Gibbs was indeed a private person.

"I should probably get going. Let you enjoy the rest of your night" she said as she got up, placed her empty bottle on the table in front of her. She slipped her shoes back on and went to walk past Gibbs, but he reached out and grabbed her writs, causing her to stop and look down at him.

"Come for dinner tomorrow" he said in a soft voice. As she looked down into his eyes, he could tell he genuinely wanted her company. Then her eyes moved to where he had hold of her, his thumb moving softly over her skin and she smiled.

"I will see you then" she doesn't know what came over her, but she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek "Good night Gibbs" she said softly before finally moving away, grabbing Kelly's car keys and heading off home.


	2. Chapter 2

To say she was nervous was an understatement. She walked up the path that lead to the stairs to the porch and then the front door. She took a deep calming breath before knocking.

"It's open" she heard him call. She entered and took her jacket off and hung it up by the door. She nervously ran he hands over her red long sleeve shirt, which was tucked into her waist high black pants, and once happy with her appearance she walked in to find Gibbs in the kitchen.

She smiled as she saw him rinsing some lettuce leaves in the sink. She couldn't help but bite her lower lip as her eyes ran over his magnificent figure. He was wearing dark jeans with a black polo shirt tucked into them.

"Hey, can I get you something to drink?" his question pulled her out of her thoughts, and she nodded with a sweet smile.

"Yes, thank you. Would you like me to do that?" she asked as she moved more into the kitchen, heading for the fridge.

"Sure, there is beer or wine" he instructed as he put the washed leaves in a bowl and started on cutting tomatoes for the salad. Kate grabbed the bottle of wine from the fridge and found where the glasses were, of course in the top cupboard. As she reached up to get them, he looked over at her, noticing how her shirt hugged her curves, especially the swell of her breasts. He had to look away before his pants became too tight.

Kate poured two glasses of wine and set them on the table and looked at Gibbs. He looked different in his home. Like he was more relaxed, though it still looked like his shoulders were tense.

"Is there anything else I can do?" she asked sweetly. He smiled at her and shook his head.

"Nope, all taken care of" she smiled and nodded, grabbed her wine and took a sip.

"So does Kelly get her love for camping from you?" she asked, trying to start some small talk. Whenever they were together it always seemed to be about work, and tonight she wanted to change that.

"I like to think so" he gave her a small smile as he brought over the salad to the table "But she tells me its what they do to get away from all the study and parties" Kate couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble Gibbs, but speaking from experience, they will be having their own party" she grinned as she sipped her wine, watching his mind catch up to what she had just said.

"Experience?" he asked a little shocked. Kate really couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face.

"Gibbs I'm kidding" she grinned "It wasn't while I was camping" she took a sip of her wine again, this time a grin graced Gibbs' face as he went back to the kitchen to get the lasagna out of the oven. He cut it up and brought it over to the table. He grabbed her plate and put a piece on, before handing it back to her and doing the same for his own. Kate added some salad and offered Gibbs some, who surprisingly took her offer.

"This is great, thank you" she said as they started to eat.

"Welcome" he replied with his mouth full. Kate looked at him and smiled, shaking her head. He really was such a man. She couldn't help but watch him as they ate. She had always been so intrigued by him. Always wondered what it would be like to be held by him, kissed by him.

She hadn't realized she had stopped eating and was now staring at him, until he spoke to her.

"Kate, everything okay?" he asked, his eyes staring into hers. She nodded and gave him a small smile, before focusing back on the food in front of her.

"Yeah, sorry was just thinking" she admitted and continued eating.

"Oh yeah? About what?" considering she had been staring at him, he had some idea as to what she was thinking. She looked down at her plate and considered trying to lie to him, but it would of course, be pointless. So, she decided to be honest and see how that went.

"You, actually" after a pause she looked up to see him staring at her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she was glad he didn't laugh in her face.

"What were you thinkin'?" he asked seriously, his eyes never leaving hers. She couldn't help the slight blush that flushed her cheeks. She eventually tore her eyes away from his, feeling more courageous then she normally would, pushed her chair back and got up, walked over to him, leaned down and kissed him.

It wasn't exactly a surprise when she felt him kiss her back. When she pulled back, he opened his big blue eyes and looked up at her. She smiled which made him smile back at her.

"I like the way you think" he finally said when he found his voice. Kate couldn't help but grin, leaned down and kissed him again, deeper this time. His hands came up to cup her face to keep her there.

Gibbs eventually let her go, stood up and took her hand and started leading her upstairs.

"Shouldn't we clean up first?" she asked looking at the table they just left. Gibbs stopped and turned to face her, looked down at her with a grin.

"Do you really want to waste more time cleaning up?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. His hands found their way to her hips and pulled her body closer to his.

"It can wait" she decided as she pushed him back towards the stairs.

Kate woke to the soft snoring right near her ear. She couldn't help but smile as she rolled over and saw the man sound asleep. He looked so sweet and innocent when he was sleeping. She wanted to reach out and touch his face, but she also didn't want to wake him. Not just yet anyway.

She decided to carefully get up, pulled on his dress shirt, rolled up the sleeves as it was too big and headed down stairs to start making some coffee.

As she walked as quietly as she could down the stairs, she couldn't help but think back to last night's events and a smile graced her face. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the front door open and close.

"Oh, well Good morning" she was startled by the voice, and when she looked up she saw Kelly standing there, a knowing grin on her face.

"Uh, hi. We weren't expecting you until later" Kate stammered as she came down the stairs, suddenly thankful she did decide to put her panties back on.

"Well it started to rain, so we decided to come back early. I just came home to shower before John and I head out to a movie" she couldn't get rid of the grin on her face as she eyed Kate up and down "But it certainly seems like you had a good time" she couldn't help it.

Kate couldn't help but try and pull down the shirt a little more.

"Yeah, we did" now she couldn't help but grin "I was just coming down to start on some coffee, I thought I would let him sleep. Want to join me?" she asked. Kelly nodded and led her into the kitchen. After Kelly's insistence, she started making the coffee, while Kate grabbed three mugs.

"So, did you guys talk or just, have some fun?" Kelly asked, taking Kate by surprise.

"You do realize we are talking about your father, right?" Kate said laughing. Kelly hand Kate her a cup of coffee, still grinning.

"Oh I know, and I also know he has not stopped talking about you since you started. Are you two dating now? I mean should we celebrate tonight?" it was clear Kelly was super excited that Gibbs and Kate had been together.

"I don't know. I mean, we talked a little after, but then he distracted me with" she had to stop herself, it was Gibbs' daughter after all.

"But you also know your dad isn't really one for talking" she took a sip of her coffee.

"Yes, of course. It's so hard to get anything out of him, but I do know he likes you a lot. And for the record, I like you too. You are not like the others" she smiled genuinely at the older woman.

"Kate, you didn't…oh Hi" Gibbs suddenly walked into the kitchen, shocked to see his daughter home already

"Well look at you sleepy head" Kelly teased as she grinned at him. He stood there in only his track pants, thankful that he had decided to put them on and not just stay in his boxers.

"You're back early" he noted as he looked as his daughter.

"Yes, because as you see it is raining. But don't worry, John and I are going to the movies so you two can enjoy the rest of your weekend" Kelly took her mug of coffee and left the two alone. Kate smiled at Gibbs as he walked over to her.

She grabbed his cup and handed it to him as he came to stand in front of her, her eyes running up and down his torso. He took the offered mug and took a sip.

"Hi" she said with a sweet smile.

"Hi" he replied as he leaned in and kissed her softly. Kate reached out and put her mug down so she could run her hands up and down his bare chest. Gibbs leaned into her, put his mug next to hers so he could run his hands up her thighs.

"This looks much better on you" he said in a husky voice. She grinned and played with the waist band of his pants.

"And these look better off you" she replied, finally slipping her hands inside to grab his ass. His lips found her neck and she couldn't help the small moan that escaped her.

"Gibbs, we should take this upstairs" she finally said, feeling her knees starting to go weak. His hands came around to her ass and he lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist while her arms went around his neck.

Gibbs took them upstairs, making sure to close the door behind them. He carried her over to the bed and put her down gently.

"Wait, Kelly is just down the hallway" she said, pushing on his chest. Gibbs grinned and kissed her softly.

"Then you will have to be quiet" he moved his lips to her neck and started kissing and sucking her soft skin.

Kelly had just finished getting dressed, grabbed her bag and went to head down stairs. When she passed Gibbs bedroom, she couldn't help but notice the door was now closed. She couldn't help but grin, getting an idea of what they were doing. Then she got a chill when she realized it was indeed her father behind that door having sex with Kate. She shook her head to get rid of the image and quickly made her way down the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

**2 years later**

Kelly had just finished packing up the last of her belongings. She had finally finished her Master's and Kate had helped her get an internship at a Centre in Richmond. She looked around her room, a little shocked at how empty it was.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. She grabbed it, looked at the screen and her heart sank when she saw Tony's name. It was bad enough having her father working where he did and the fact he seemed to be a bullseye for bullets, now she had two people she cared about working with bullets and crazy people.

"Tony, what is it?" she asked, instead of her normal cheery hello.

"Hey Kel, look you better come quick. It's Kate, she's been shot and Gibbs wanted me to call you" Tony said, sounding out of breath. Kelly stood up instantly.

"Okay, where are you?" she asked grabbing her bag and keys.

"MedStar Washington" he answered as he blasted the horn.

"Okay, I'm on my way" she hung up and didn't even think before running out of the house.

Kelly ran into the hospital. She went up to the information counter a little short of breath.

"Hi, I'm looking for Kate Todd?" she asked quickly. They lady looked at her, then typed something on the computer, then looked at her again.

"Are you family, Miss?" she finally asked. Kelly thought for a moment, before nodding her head.

"She is my Step Mom" she easily lied. The lady nodded, grabbed a piece of paper and wrote something down.

"Go up to the third floor, turn right and head all the way down to the nurse's station. They will help you from there" she instructed. With a quick thank you, Kelly took the piece of paper and headed for the elevator.

As she waited, she couldn't help but tap her foot. She had so many scenarios running through her head. Though if it was bad news, Tony would of told her that over the phone. Right?

Kelly walked down the corridor, looking at the room numbers as she went. She then finally saw Tony and ran to him. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Hey kid, she's in there" he told her as she finally let go. She turned and looked through the window at Kate lying lifeless on the bed. Monitors hooked up to her and needles in her arm.

"Where's dad?" she asked noting his absence.

"He's out looking for Ari. He's the reason we were on the damn roof" he said shaking his head. Kelly knew the name, but she didn't exactly know all the details.

"Tony, please tell me what happened. Did Ari shoot Kate, like he shot Dad?" she asked. Tony sighed as he looked at her. He knew he shouldn't, but she was so persistent and he knew she wouldn't stop until she got answers.

"We were at a warehouse thinking that's where Ari was hiding, but he wasn't there. We thought we had gotten everyone until Kate saw this guy aiming for Gibbs. That's when she jumped in front of him. Bullet missed her vest. Doc says it missed major organs, but there was a lot of internal bleeding and there was a lot of medical words, before he told us he had to remove one of her ovaries" at this piece of information Kelly couldn't help but gasp.

"Does Dad know?" at her question, Tony nodded.

"He left after she came out of surgery. You know Gibbs, he throws himself into work to take his mind off things" Tony said with a nod.

"Look, I have to go, but I will come back later" Kelly nodded and hugged him again, and watched him go. She took a deep breath before heading into Kate's room. She pulled up the spare chair so it was closer to the bed and took Kate's hand in her own. She was thankful that it was warm.

"Tony told me what happened. Kate I can't believe you did that. You saved Dad's life and risked your own. Now I don't know if that was your training or because you are madly in love with him, but I would like to think the second option" she said with a smile and a sniffle. She looked up to see the brunette still unconscious.

"And truth is, I'm pretty sure he is madly in love with you too. And I know I haven't said it, but I love you. You have helped me so much and in the last two years, we have shared so much. More than any of the others ever did" she felt the tears roll down her face and squeezed Kate's hand tighter.

"Please, if you can hear me, don't go anywhere. You need to stay here with us. You make us so happy" she sniffled "especially Dad. So please, no more jumping in front of bullets" she stared at her, hoping that she would open her eyes.

**Three days later**

"You're healing very well Miss Todd. I will get the discharge papers together and your medications and you're good to go" the doctor said with a smile, then left her room.

"Finally, I have been stuck in here for way too long" Kate said as she threw the blanket off the bed.

"Just because you're coming home, doesn't mean you can't take it easy. Go shower and get dressed and I will pack your stuff up" Kelly told her. Kate limped to the bathroom to get ready to finally go home. As Kelly was packing up her cards and teddy bears people had brought in for her, there was a knock on the door. She turned to see Gibbs poke his head in.

"Hey, you're late" Kelly said with a smile. He walked in, closed the door behind him and put the bunch of flowers in his hand on the bed.

"Yeah, had something to take care of. Where is she?" he asked, the heard the shower running.

"Getting ready to go home. Doc is just getting the paperwork ready" she informed him. He sat down on the bed and stared out the window.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked her dad as she came to stand in front of him. He gave her a small smile as he looked up at her. Every day she was looking more and more like her mother.

"I'm okay" he finally said.

"And are you absolutely sure, you don't want me to stay longer to help Kate? I can put it off for a few more days" Kelly said as she came to sit down next to him.

Before he had a chance to answer, the bathroom door opened and Kate waddled out.

"No, you are going. I am fine. I can shower myself and walk by myself" she said as she walked over to them. Gibbs got up to greet her. Leaning down to kiss her softly, so glad that he was actually able to do it. He then helped her sit down on the bed.

"Hey kiddo, can you go take her things down to the car?" Gibbs asked as he looked over at Kelly. She was about to protest, when she realized he wanted to be alone with Kate.

"Sure, I will see you guys soon" Kelly grabbed Kate's bag and left the two alone. Gibbs then sat down next to Kate and looked at her.

"So, what do you need to tell me that you can't say in front of her?" she asked with a small knowing smile. He took her hands in his and squeezed them gently.

"Ari is dead. He is finally out of our lives" he told her. She stared at him, not entirely sure what to say.

"Are you okay?" he asked her softly. All she could do was nod. And suddenly she felt tears in her eyes. Gibbs noticed and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into him.

"He's finally gone. And we can, we can finally be free" she cried into his chest. He kissed her head and nodded.

"We are" he kissed her head again.


End file.
